Syracuse, N.Y. — The Onondaga County Water Authority has now issued mandatory water restrictions in six Central New York towns as impacts from a busted water line in Cicero become apparent.
Manlius Village Mayor Hank Chapman said the county and OCWA have told him the area could run out of water if people don’t conserve water properly.
OCWA is “pausing all wash services” at car washes and ordered businesses to limit water usage in the six towns, including having employees work from home when possible.
As of about 12:30 p.m. today, the Delta Sonic car wash on Erie Boulevard East had stopped service, an employee said.
The restrictions also include hard-to-enforce provisions like limiting showers to five minutes and reducing the number of toilet flushes per day. (See a full list of restrictions below.)
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The towns are Manlius, DeWitt and Pompey in Onondaga County, and Sullivan, Lenox and Lincoln in Madison County, including all villages in those towns.
OCWA said that customers might see reduced water flow and pressure “during the coming weeks.” Repairing the rupture in the line could take two weeks, said Jeff Brown, executive director of OCWA.
The 42-inch-diameter pipe carries Lake Ontario water from a pump station in Clay to eastern Onondaga County and western Madison County. The break, near Northern Boulevard and East Taft Road, led the water authority to issue a conservation alert Saturday to about 27,000 customers in six towns.
A series of reservoirs filled by the damaged pipe are typically kept full and can hold 50 million gallons of water. They were only 25% full Sunday evening, and the water level was continuing to “slowly” decline, Brown said. Water can be drawn from the reservoirs until they are empty.
Brown said the water authority is working to keep 2 million gallons of water flowing each day to the reservoirs.
Water is being diverted from other parts of the OCWA system, and temporary pumps are sending water drawn from Otisco Lake, he said.
How is this water shortage affecting you? Have you been notified to close your business or send workers home? How is your water pressure? Please share your experiences with us at [email protected].
Minoa Village Mayor William Brazill said Brown called him Sunday and told him the water could get down to dangerously low levels.
“It’s very serious,” the mayor said Monday. “We really do need to conserve. My concern is that people don’t take this seriously because they have water, so they feel comfortable.”
Brazill said he noticed the water pressure was lower this morning.
Here’s the list of restrictions OCWA has issued for the six towns.
“In an effort to meet the demand for all water customers during the repair period, it is essential for OCWA customers in the above areas to keep their water use to essential needs only,” OCWA said. “This includes:
- Using laundry facilities in unaffected parts of the OCWA system (western and northern Onondaga County).
- Adjusting all water-using appliances to use the minimum amount of water.
- Running the dishwasher and washing machine at full load. If you wash dishes by hand, use a bucket or container with soapy water and only use the faucet for quick rinsing of scrubbed dishes.
- Taking 5-minute showers and shallower baths. Turn off the shower while soaping; turn off the faucet while brushing teeth, etc.
- Reducing the number of toilet flushes per day. Each flush uses about 5 to 7 gallons.
- Using sink and tub stoppers to avoid wasting water.
- Keeping a bottle of chilled drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the water till it gets cold.
- Eliminating use of water for ornamental purposes, including but not limited to fountains, artificial waterfalls and reflecting pools.
- Reusing water when possible.
- Commercial Customers: Limiting non-essential work practices that involve water usage and utilizing additional water conservation measures such as having employees work from home.
- Car Washes: Pausing all wash services until mandatory conservation is lifted and full water service is restored.”
Staff writer Elizabeth Doran contributed to this report.
